By Francesca Hangeior
About 51 Senators from the 17 southern states, on Wednesday, March 13, met to revive their forum by electing six executive members under the chairmanship of Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC – Lagos East).
This is coming nine months after the inauguration of the 10th Senate.
The Senators who met at the Conference Room of the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC – Ekiti Central), said the forum, like the Northern Senators’ Forum, is not new as it has been in existence since the 9th Senate.
Specifically, Senator Bamidele who served as chairman of the forum during the 9th Senate, said his current position as leader of the 10th Senate, prevented him from providing the required leadership, necessitating a change of leadership which took place at the meeting.
He said: “What is happening here today is not new as both the Southern and Northern Senators’ fora existed even before this 10th Senate.
“At this meeting of the Southern Senators, new executive members will be announced to steer the affairs of the forum.
Briefing the press during the meeting, Bamidele said the chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru, emerged as the chairman of the Southern Senators’ Forum.
Abiru (APC – Lagos East) took over from Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who has been the leader of the forum since the 9th Assembly.
Speaking after his emergence, Abiru said the association would partner the with Northern Senators forum to move the country forward.
Abiru said: “The Southern Senators’ Forum is to champion the cause of Nigeria and Nigerians. We have our Northern brothers with the Northern Senators’ Forum. We will work together with the Northern Senators’ Forum to move the country forward.”